Unemployment figures: monthly figures down again, and again much better than this time last year

On:6 May 2019

Updated 6 May: April’s unemployment figures released today show a fall of -0.77%, with 1,617 fewer out of work in the Canaries. Interannually, the figures are down 5,523, -2.59%, compared with April 2018. There are now 207,618 people out of work in the islands.

Updated 2 April: Unemployment fell marginally by 231 (-0.11%) in March, today’s figures show, with a bigger drop of 4,533 (-2.12%) compared with March 2018. There are now 209,235 out of work in the Canary Islands.

Updated 4 March: February’s unemployment rose very slightly compared to January, by just 47 (0.02%). Interannually, the figures are an improvement on February 2018, though, falling 5,616 (-2.61%). There are now 209,466 out of work in these islands.

Updated 4 February: Today’s unemployment figures for January show that the Christmas fall was a blip because they are up again. Compared with December there are 2,404 more people out of work in the islands, a rise of 1.16%, though the numbers are down 6,282 from last January, an interannual fall of 2.91%. There are now 209,419 unemployed in the Canaries.

Updated 3 January 2019: After a couple of months with numbers rising, December’s figures released today by the Ministerio de Empleo show a fall of 2,960 in those out of work, a drop of 1.41%. The New Year therefore saw 207,015 Canarians saying goodbye to 2018 without a job, according to today’s figures for December released by the Ministerio de Empleo, a fall in the numbers out of work throughout the year of 9,072, down 4.20%. Of those, around half are long-term unemployed who are without any resources whatsoever.

Updated 4 December 2018: Last month’s unemployment figures released today by the Department of Employment show a further rise of 1,874, up 0.90%. Interannually, however, the figures are still below last November’s, down by 9,723 (-4.43%). There are now 209,975 people out of work in the Canary Islands.

Updated 5 November: Unemployment in the Canaries rose in October by 2,671, a rise of 1.3%, today’s figures released by the Employment Ministry show, though compared with October 2017 numbers out of work fell by 13,693, a drop of 6.17%. There are now 208,101 unemployed in these islands.

Updated 2 October: The latest unemployment figures released today for September by the Department of Employment show a fall of 1,587 in the numbers of those out of work (-0.77%) compared with August. In comparison with September 2017, the drop is 15,576 (-7.05%), and there are now 205,430 people registered out of work in the Canary Islands. The month’s figures for our region beat the national trend, where unemployment rose throughout Spain by 20,441 (0.6%) to 3,202,509.

Updated 4 September: As so often at the end of a summer, unemployment figures rise, but August’s figures released today by the Ministerio de Empleo show the first rise for nine months. The rise is small, thankfully, increasing by just 270, up 0.13% on July, leaving 207,017 out of work in the Canaries, and the year-by-year figures continue to show a drop, with 10,028 fewer out of work in July 2018 than in the same month in 2017, a fall of 4.62%.

Updated 2 August: July’s unemployment figures for the Canaries released today by the Ministerio de Empleo show a continued fall, and however small, it’s down again by 1,847 (-0.89%). Interannually, the drop is 11,148 (-5.12%) compared with July 2017. There are now 206,747 people out of work in these islands.

Updated 3 July: Today’s unemployment figures for June show a further fall of 3,817 (-1.85%). Interannually, numbers out of work have fallen 11,485 (-5.22%) from June 2017. There are now 208,594 out of work in these islands. Nationally, unemployment in Spain fell again, down 89,968 last month (-2.8%), leaving 3,162,162 out of work, the lowest national level since 2009.

Updated 4 June: May’s unemployment figures released today by the Ministerio de Empleo show a further fall since April of 730 (-0.34%) in the number out of work in the Canaries. Interannually, unemployment has fallen by 10,338 (-4.64%) since May 2017, leaving 212,411 out of work throughout the islands. Nationally, unemployment in the last month of a PP (conservative) Government was at its lowest for ten years in May, with 3,252,130 out of work in Spain as a whole, down from 5,040,222 at its peak in February 2013.

Updated 4 May: And it’s down again, a drop of 627 (-0.29%) in April’s unemployment figures in the Canaries compared with March. Interannually, it is down 12,561 (-5.57%) compared with April 2017. The good figures still leaves 213,141 out of work in these islands.

Updated 3 April: Today’s unemployment figures for March show a further fall in the Canaries, down 1,314 from February (-0.61%). The drop is more pronounced in the eastern province of Las Palmas with 821 fewer out of work compared with 493 in Santa Cruz province. Interannually, too, figures are down, with a drop of 17,011 (-7.37%) in those out of work compared with March 2017. There are now 213,768 unemployed in the Canaries.

To put some meat on that 213,768, however, and the fact that it has long been reported that after a decade of “crisis” more than half the long-term unemployed are without any financial means whatsoever, the Government has calculated that 40,479 families in these islands ended 2017 with no income. This is over 8,000 more than were assessed as having no means in 2008 when the crisis really can be said to have started to hit hard. The only slight consolation might be that at peak crisis in 2014, households with no income were numbered at 50.130 so as Spain recovers slowly the situation has improved somewhat, albeit to a figure that still has the capacity to horrify.

Updated 2 March: Unemployment figures released today show a drop, welcome though still very small, of 619 (-0.29%) in February. Interannually, the fall is 14,818 (-6.45%) compared with February 2017. There are now 215,082 out of work in these islands.

Updated 2 February: There was virtually no change in the unemployment situation in January, today’s figures from the Ministerio de Empleo show, with numbers out of work falling by just 386 (-0.18%) from December 2017. All of these were in Tenerife province, where the drop was actually 464, balanced out by an increase of 78 in Las Palmas. Interannually, unemployment in the Canaries compared with January 2017 fell by 16,073 (-6.93%), leaving 215,701 out of work.

Updated 3 January 2018: The number out of work fell in December by 3,611 (-1.64%), compared with November, and down 13,146 (-5.7%) compared with December 2016. Canarian unemployment therefore ended 2017 with 216,087 out of work, the latest figures from the Ministerio de Empleo y Seguridad Social show.

Updated 4 December 2017: November’s figures, released today, show a drop of 2,096, -0.95%, after a couple of months in which it rose following the end of summer jobs. Figures were down compared with November 2016 too, with an interannual fall of 15,076, -6.42%. There are now 219,698 out of work in the Canaries.

Updated 3 November: The latest unemployment figures released today by the Ministerio de Empleo show that unemployment rose for the second consecutive month as the loss of summer jobs continues to be felt. Numbers out of work in October were up by 788 throughout the islands, a rise of 0.36% compared to September, though interannually the figures are still lower, down 11,080 (-4.76%) compared with October 2016. There are now 221,794 out of work in the Canaries.

Updated 3 October: September’s unemployment in the Canaries rose by 3,961, figures released today show, an increase of 1.82% compared with August. Interannually, however, the figures are down on September last year, a fall of 9,895, -4.29%. There are now 221,006 unemployed in these islands.

Updated 4 September: The latest unemployment figures released today by the Ministerio de Empleo show a further fall in the Canaries in August. The month on month drop, of 850, -0.39%, leaves 217,045 out of work in the Canaries. Compared with August 2016, the drop is 13,140, – 5,71%. The drop bucks a national trend where, in Spain as a whole, unemployment rose last month after reductions for several consecutive months: there are now 3,382,324 registered unemployed nationally. Naturally the Canaries will be benefiting from seasonal jobs, with a dip being expected as the summer comes to an end.

Updated 2 August: July’s unemployment figures released today by the Ministerio de Empleo fell again, with 2,184 fewer out of work than in June, a drop of 0.99%. There are now 217,895 registered unemployed in these islands, more than half of whom are in receipt of no welfare assistance whatsoever. Compared with July 2016, the figures are down 14,174, a drop of 6.11%. Nationally, unemployment fell a further 26,887 leaving 3,335,924 out of work throughout Spain.

Updated 4 July: June showed a further monthy fall in unemployment in the Canaries of 2,670, a drop of -1.20% bringing the number down to 220,079. Compared with June 2016, the drop is 7.09%, down 16,797. Within the Canaries, the figures for Santa Cruz de Tenerife province (Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro) are somewhat better than Las Palmas (Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote), and Tenerife President Carlos Alonso expressed his satisfaction at Tenerife’s figures.

The president released the following chart for this island specifically, and said that Tenerife was a leader in growth and creation of employment, as shown by initiatives like Barrios por empleo, something that was one of the major points of interest during the King and Queen of Spain’s visit to Tenerife in April. None the less, there are still 167,293 people unemployed in this island alone, more than half of whom are in receipt of no state help whatsoever, though the indications are generally more positive with a drop of almost 30,000 in four years in the numbers out of work.

Updated 2 June: May’s unemployment figures released today by the Ministerio de Empleo show a fall of 2,953 (-1.31%) compared with April, and an interannual drop of 17,318 (-7.21%) compared with April 2016. There are now 222,749 out of work in the Canaries, more than half of whom are in receipt of no welfare assistance whatsoever. Nationally, unemployment fell a further 111,908 (-3.1%) leaving 3,461,128 out of work in Spain, the lowest level since 2008.

Updated 4 May: The latest figures released today by the Ministerio de Empleo y Seguridad Social show a fall of 2.20% in April, a drop of 5,077 in those out of work from March. Interannually, the fall is 6.76% compared with Apri 2016, down 16,361. There are now 225,702 out of work in the Canaries. Nationally, unemployment fell in April by 129,281, the biggest monthly drop since records began: there are now 3,573,036 out of work in Spain as a whole.

Updated 4 April: Unemployment in the Canaries fell by 12,109 (-4.99%) compared with March 2016 according to figures released today by the Ministerio de Empleo y Seguridad Social. The monthly figures rose slightly, however, up by 879 (0.38%) compared with February, an increase almost entirely in the western province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The total number of unemployed in the Canaries as a whole is now 230,779, more than half of whom are in receipt of no income whatsoever.

Updated 2 March: The latest unemployment figures released today by the Ministerio de Empleo y Seguridad Social show a drop of 1,874 in the numbers of work, down 0.81% on January, leaving 229,900 out of work in the Canaries. Interannually, there are 13,732 fewer out of work than this time last year, down 5.64%. Nationally, February’s monthly unemployment fell by 9,355 (-0,2%), its second best February since 2005, leaving 3,750,876 out of work throughout Spain.

Updated 2 February: 2017 starts with a rise in unemployment, with January’s figures growing by 2,541 , a monthly rise of 1.11%. There are now 231,774 unemployed in the Canaries, according to the latest statistics released today by the Ministerio de Empleo y Seguridad Social. The growth was most marked in the western province, with Santa Cruz de Tenerife having 1,406 of the 2,541. Interannually, however, there are 14,210 fewer out of work in January this year than last, a year-on-year drop of 5.78%.

Updated 4 January 2017: The figures for the end of 2016 show that last year ended with 229,233 unemployed in the Canaries, a fall of 18,296, -7.39%, throughout the year. December’s statistics released today by the Ministerio de Empleo y Seguridad Social Solo show a fall from November of 5,541, -2.34%, but despite the downward trend, over half of those out of work are still in receipt of no income whatsoever.

Tenerife president Carlos Alonso welcomed the drop in unemployment figures, which he said were now lower than those of 2009. They were still not good enough, he said, even though they show a clear move out of the depression of the past several years, and he hoped that things will improve even further this year.

In Spain nationally, the year ended with nearly 400,000 fewer out of work, leaving 3.7m out of work, the fourth consecutive year in which the country’s unemployment has fallen.

Updated 2 December 2016: November’s unemployment figures released today by the Ministerio de Empleo y Seguridad Social, show a rise of 1,900 in these islands, a month-on-month increase of 0.8%. The interannual trend is down, however, and there are 13,865 fewer out of work (-5.58%) compared with November 2015. Nonetheless, there are 234,774 people out of work in the Canaries after this month’s figures, over half of whom remain without any means whatsoever, a situation unchanged since February.

Updated 3 November: The latest unemployment figures released today by the Ministerio de Empleo y Seguridad Social show that the numbers out of work rose again in October, a monthly jump of 1,973 (0.85%). In interannual terms, however, unemployment is still down on last year, with 14,288 fewer out of work in the Canaries this October than last, down 5.78%. There are now 232,874 people out of work in these islands.

The monthly rise is reflected in the figures nationally, where Spain saw last month’s unemployment figures going up by 44,685, but with the rise being the lowest October jump since 2007. There are now 3,764,982 out of work in the country.

Updated 4 October: Almost certainly due to the end of temporary summer contracts in the Canaries, September’s figures released today by the Ministerio de Empleo y Seguridad Social show a rise of 716 people out of work since August, a growth of 0.31%, leaving 230,901 out of work in the islands. Interannually, figures are still down, with 11,412 (4.71%) fewer out of work this September than last.

Updated 2 September: August’s figures released today by the Ministerio de Empleo y Seguridad Social show a further fall of 1,884, down 0.81% from July. Interannually, the reduction is 12,464 personas, down 5.14% compared to August 2015. There are now 230,185 unemployed in these islands.

Updated 2 August: July’s figures released today by the Ministerio de Empleo y Seguridad Social’s show a further fall of 4,807, down 2.03% from June. Interannually, the reduction is 11,837, down 4.85% compared to July 2015. There are now 232,069 unemployed in these islands, 122,546 in the eastern province of Las Palmas and 109.523 in the western one of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Despite the reductions, however, the long-term unemployment trends are poor, with the situation unchanged since February with regard to those out of work and without any means whatsoever: it remains at more than half, at 50.4%.

Updated 4 July: June’s figures show a fall in unemployment in the Canaries of 3,191 (-1.33%) compared to May, down in interannual terms by 11,347 (-4,57%) from June 2015. The Ministerio de Empleo y Seguridad Social’s figures show that there are now 236,876 unemployed in the Canaries, with the islands bottom of the list in recording the lowest fall nationally, where there are 3,767,054 out of work, the lowest since September 2009.

Updated 2 June: The latest unemployment figures released today by the Ministerio de Empleo y Seguridad Social show that unemployment fell by 1,996 (-0.82%) in the Canaries in May. Compared with May 2015, the drop is 11,874 (-4.71%), leaving 240,067 out of work in the islands, 114,123 in the western province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and 125,944 in the eastern province of Las Palmas. It’s still one of the lowest reductions throughout the Spanish regions, but it continues to come down.

Updated 4 May: April’s unemployment figures released today by the Ministerio de Empleo y Seguridad Social show a further fall, with 825 (-0.34%) fewer people out of work in the Canaries compared with March. Interannually, the fall is 11,953 (-4.71%). This month’s figures are the second worst in Spain, the Canaries being saved from bottom spot only by La Rioja. The total unemployed in these islands is now 242,063.

Updated 4 April: March’s unemployment figures released today by the Ministerio de Empleo y Seguridad Social show a fall of 744 (-0.31%) from February. Interannually, they represent a drop of 13,963 (-5.44%) compared with March 2015. There are now 242,888 people registered out of work in the Canaries, 127,651 in the eastern province of Las Palmas (Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote) and 115,237 in the western province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro).

Updated 2 March: February’s unemployment figures released today by the Ministerio de Empleo y Seguridad Social show a fall of 2,352 in the numbers out of work in the Canaries, a reduction of 0.96%. There are now 243,632 unemployed in these islands (115,130 in the western province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and 128,502 in the eastern province of Las Palmas), 15,055 fewer than a year ago, a year on year drop of 5.82%. One statistic for the Canaries that no-one will be happy with, however, is that the “nearly half of those out of work are in receipt of no income whatsoever” is now “more than half … “. After February, 125,689 of the unemployed – 51% – are without any means at all.

Original post 2 February 2016: By any standards, unemployment in the Canaries is far too high, with around a quarter of a million unemployed in these islands at the end of 2015 (link). Moreover, nearly half of those out of work are in receipt of no income whatsoever. It’s a dire picture, but it is still falling from record highs in recent years, with month after month showing numbers dropping, however slowly.

And the trend continues with the first figures of 2016 released today by the Ministerio de Empleo y Seguridad Social, the Canaries and the Balearics being the only regions in Spain where it fell last month. The figures show a fall in unemployment here in January of 1,545 (-0.62%) from Deccember, and down 13,759 (-5.30%) compared with January 2015. There are now 245,984 out of work in the Canaries.

3 Comments

As you say Janet, unemployment here, and in mainland Spain, remains unacceptably high and with many families on zero income it is totally unacceptable. But you know my views on statistics. The hidden facts do not always get to see the light of day, especially in election year.

It’s the summer jobs that get me … unemployment falls over the summer with temporary seasonal jobs but the contracts, and then the figures rise again once peak season’s over. This doesn’t stop political advantage being taken from the figures, though … and that wouldn’t be so bad but there’s no shamefacedness when they go back up again!!

Fairly meaningless when many workers are paid less than minimum wage and on illegal or no contracts due to unscrupulous business owners. Majority of people I’ve met in Tenerife earn 5 euros per hour and without a contract; those with contracts find that the contract is illegal, so the boss can avoid paying social security. Impossible to live on this. But nobody cares, if you bring it up, your boss says, if you don’t like it, work somewhere else. But they’re all at it, especially in Los Gigantes.

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